5 Beach Restaurants and Bars You Must Visit in El Nido, Palawan

El Nido is what I left referred to daily as “Heaven on Earth”. I fell in love with the sandy white beaches, endless coconut trees, limestone cliffs and the crystal clear water.

After a day touring the island I would end up at one of these wonderful spots for a drink or two

1. Marber’s RestoBar

Marber’s is a great spot on the beach which is owned by Bernie who is German and his beautiful wife Marlou. Marber’s opened back in 2007 and has a nice international vibe to it. Inside you will find flags from all over the world hanging from the ceiling and on the wall. If you’re lucky enough you will be served by very polite young man by the name of Dexter who is Bernie and Marlou’s nephew.

They have 10 inch pizzas that range from 200-320 PHP and great German dishes including Curryahm Schnitzel and Schnitzel Marbers topped with ham and cheese. I admired the fact that they had a large seafood selection, 15 different options to be exact from baked fish to an entire seafood plate for 1500 PHP. Their desserts range from 100-200 PHP, I really enjoyed their choco crepe. They also have an extensive drink list with the non-alcoholic beverages that were 25-150 PHP and alcoholic drinks from 50-170 PHP. If you’re looking for a bottle of wine you can get one for 900 PHP.

When you go there don’t forget to ask for Monica who is Bernie’s 5 year old daughter. She will blow you away with her intelligence and will make you laugh until your stomach hurts.

Oh, also don’t forget to to say hello to Dude

2. Seaslugs Bar and Restaurant

Seaslugs is a popular restaurant and bar among the tourists I met during my stay in El Nido. One thing we appreciated was the fact that they took credit card payments and even provided cash back since unfortunately in El Nido right now there aren’t any ATM machines to withdraw money. If you do have foreign currency you exchange it at places like The Palawan Pawnshop.

Inside Seaslugs there is also a desk where you can book various tours. This was one of my favourite places to go for a fruit shake because it was the cheapest (only 90 PHP) and you can see the fresh fruit they use right there in the restaurant so if you wanted you could pretty much choose which fruit you wanted to be blended.

Their breakfast selection ranged from 150-200 PHP and they offer American and Filipino breakfast options. They have an entire page filled with seafood options ranging from 200-350 PHP and another with meat options ranging from 250-300 PHP. They also offer pasta, burgers and 10 inch pizzas. As for alcoholic beverages it can range from 30 PHP to 1200 PHP for a bottle of wine. If you’re looking for accommodations you can stay at Antonio Village Pension and Cafe from 700 PHP per night.

If you have any questions send an e-mail to arante.divinagracia@yahoo.com

3. Bacuit Grill and Restaurant

Closer to the end of the beach next to El Nido Restaurant and El Nido Garden Hotel you’ll see the quaint Bacuit Grill and Restaurant. The moment you walk in your immediately get a chill vibe. They have a very organized one page menu that was easy to read. They had several breakfast options from pancakes, crepes and omelettes. Their continental, American and Filipino breakfast prices ranged from 120-190 PHP. Pasta’s 170-180 PHP, sandwiches were all 180 PHP and they even had set meals for 800 PHP. On a separate menu they have 33 cocktail selections which range from 80 PHP to 900 PHP for a bottle of wine.

I found this place to be very quiet during the day so if you’re looking for some peace and quiet while all the other tourists are on their island tours I would suggest visiting Bacuit Grill and Restaurant.

During my stay in El Nido I noticed that Pukka was the place to be at night when you’re looking for a good time. Pukka is located next to Atmosphere Sushi Bar and is a reggae restaurant and bar that entertain their guests as night with live reggae music. Being from Jamaican decent I was very impressed with the live music.

Pukka opens everyday at 4 pm where they offer happy hour and free tapas. When I purchased their rum and coke I received a few peanuts with my drink.

If you’re looking to purchase some starters you can get Kinilaw to Chicken Nuggets fro 170-200 PHP. They also offer two types of salads; The Chef Salad 170 PHP and a Tuna salad 180 PHP. On their simple menu you can also find their Vegetable Veggie Curry dish which you can smell as soon as it comes out of the kitchen, Veggie Stir Fry, noodles, pasta, meat dishes and 4 types of pizza’s from the Surfer’s Delight to the Pukkas Overload from 180-350 PHP.

If you’re looking for good music and cheap drinks head over to Pukka

5. Coco Bar

Coco Bar is a family owned business that opened their doors in 2013. You can’t miss their bright yellow chairs sitting on the beautiful white sand that are located directly in front of the quaint restaurant.

Coco Bar offers happy hour from 4pm-7pm everyday. You can order any type of beer from San Miguel to Red Horse Stallion for 45 PHP and their large selection of 37 different cocktails are 10% off during this time. My favourite name for their shooters were The Flaming Asshole and of course The Bob Marley. Although they will be updating their food menu in the coming year they won’t be changing their specialty which is their 12 inch pizza’s, each one has 8 slices and are 300 PHP each.

The owner even made me custom necklace!

If you’d like to contact them their number is +63948 280 5044

If you’re heading to El Nido anytime soon please stop by these wonderful restaurants and bars and have a conversation with someone new. You’ll be sure to leave with a smile on your face.